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- Six on Saturday – 17 Apr, 2021
Spring is showing off with the life it’s breathing into the balcony plants. The Ginkgo is showing a great spread of new leaves, the sunflower is already spreading its pad, and the wildflowers are surviving over-wet conditions.
About The Site
Plants can tell us quite a bit about our environment. I like to use plants to figure out what nature is like in the places that I visit. They’re meters, markers, and memories that wait calmly in the earth. I hope this site helps you learn from these plants too.
Schedule
| M | About a particular plant. Whether it’s notes and research on plants in my own garden, or notes on the plants growing in the places I visit – check in for these plant guides and biographies! |
| F | Articles on a Topic. These are typically longform articles that explore nature in a broad or detailed way. |
| S | Six on Saturday. A wonderful blog post format started by The Propagator. It’s a whole lot of fun to keep a garden journal! |
Blogroll
- Six on Saturday – 17 Apr, 2021Spring is showing off with the life it’s breathing into the balcony plants. The Ginkgo is showing a great spread of new leaves, the sunflower is already spreading its pad, and the wildflowers are surviving over-wet conditions.
- Six on Saturday – 10 Apr, 2021Spring is finally showing itself in the form of many happy plants! The olives are starting to bud up, the Ginkgo has finally awoken from winter, and the cress won’t stop flowering!
- Six on Saturday – 3 Apr, 2021The garden is hopping right along as Spring gets underway here! All the plants are racing upward toward the sun, and even the Ginkgo has decided it’s time to wake up.
Growing Guides
- (Garden) Cress
Garden Cress is an easygoing, cold-tolerant, tasty plant that can be harvested and eaten at any point in its growing cycle. Easy to care for, harvest as needed with a pair of scissors. Find out how to grow this slightly tangy salad green! - Mint
Growing mint in a container isn’t only easy – it’s also recommended! Mint is a delicious, voracious weed that can be grown from divisions, cuttings, or seeds. Find out how to care for mint here! - Paperwhites
If you’ve ever grown daffodils, you’re not far off from growing a Paperwhite! These lovely little flowers grow from bulbs, and are even open to blooming in winter. Find out how to grow them in water or soil!
Walking Around
- DRECP – Renewable Energy in SoCal’s Deserts
The powers-that-be want to streamline a process where desert land can be handed over to energy developers who want to invest in clean energy infrastructure. They’ve written a plan – the DRECP (Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan) – to delineate what is allowed to go where. - Searching for Snow near LA
If you’ve been watching the San Gabriel Mountains north of LA, you’ve seen the snow. I wanted to see the snow up close, and not just through a few dozen miles of pollution. The environment changes completely at 5000 feet altitude, only a few miles off the 210. Find out about the Icehouse Canyon Trail and plan out a trip while there’s still snow! - The GLOW Fades
After a couple months of GLOW at South Coast Botanic Garden, it’s time to look back at the light and the music. (For those who didn’t attend – it’s a walking / music / plant / light show with a water theme)
Plant Care & General Guides
- The Sun and its Angles
Plants really enjoy sunlight – some more so than others. When you’re planting a plant outdoors, it’s useful to know what ‘Full Sun’ means on the seed packet, and whether your corner of the balcony or yard is going to get it. Find out where to look up the sun’s angles and how to apply it! - Air Purifying Plants
Plants are natural air purifiers. We put out a heck of a lot of carbon, and all plants will help reduce that to some degree. The only issue is that carbon isn’t the only thing we’re putting into the atmosphere. Our atmosphere indoors, where we’re spending so much time, is incredibly important. We put out a few other notable bad chemicals in the course of daily living – ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene. Check here for some plants that can clean your air! - Making Baby Cacti
Succulents (and Cacti) are surprisingly easy to propagate – to make more plants. They can often be grown from cuttings – small pieces of the parent plant that take root. Find out how!
Nature Appreciation
- March Garden Roundup
Spring has finally sprung in the garden, and everything is getting growing. Most of the seedlings have been transplanted to their long-term homes (at least until they end up in the kitchen…). Check out the post to see how all the plants are getting along! - DRECP – Renewable Energy in SoCal’s DesertsThe powers-that-be want to streamline a process where desert land can be handed over to energy developers who want to invest in clean energy infrastructure. They’ve written a plan – the DRECP (Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan) – to delineate what is allowed to go where.
- End of February Garden RoundupFebruary has been a busy month in the balcony garden. Cress has grown even faster than the Paperwhites. Tomato seedlings put on mass at the same time as Sunflowers. And the Billy Balls never disappoint. Check out the Garden Updates here!
